Laura Sicurello won her place in the final 10 of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria after a 'sing-off' in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the panel of experts, however the police intelligence officer from Milton Keynes was voted off the TV series in the first week.

In spite of her early departure Laura enjoyed the experience and when asked on the official How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria site whether she still wanted to follow a career in music, replied: "Definitely. This is the kick I needed to do something about it."

After Maria, Laura Sicurello was offered a scholarship at Mountview theatre school.

Laura, whose father is Sicilian, left home when she was 17. She has had very little formal training in singing although Laura Sicurello has sung in the amateur operatic society in Milton Keynes from the age of eight.